1Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.
2Give thanks to the God of gods.
3Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
4He alone does great wonders.
5By His insight He made the heavens.
His Love Endures Forever
Give thanks to the Lord of lords. Psalm 136:3 · Berean Standard Bible
Just as verse 2 emphasizes God's superiority over other gods, this one emphasizes His authority over all rulers and powers in creation.
When you're a small nation facing powerful empires, acknowledging that God rules even over their kings is deeply reassuring. You're not worshipping the God of a small people; you're worshipping the God of all lords.
The psalmist, building the refrain of God's absolute supremacy
This truth sustained Israel through exile and occupation—the kingdoms of this world would rise and fall, but God's lordship remained unchanged.
Building upon verse 2's assertion of divine supremacy over gods, this verse declares God's mastery over all rulers and powers—the 'Lord of lords'—extending the claim from the celestial realm into the terrestrial domain of human authority.
This declaration resonates particularly if composed during periods of foreign domination or uncertainty about political authority. By confessing YHWH as 'Lord of lords,' Israel simultaneously subverts any human monarch's absolute claim to sovereignty and asserts that even earthly rulers derive their authority from God's higher dominion.
The communal liturgical voice maintains its collective posture, now asserting theological truths that challenge and transcend political realities the community may have experienced.
This verse anticipates the New Testament's Christological development of the same formula. In 1 Timothy 6:15 and Revelation 17:14, Christ is explicitly titled 'Lord of lords and King of kings,' establishing continuity between Israel's affirmation of YHWH's supremacy and Christian claims about Christ's cosmic authority.
1Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.
2Give thanks to the God of gods.
3Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
4He alone does great wonders.
5By His insight He made the heavens.
Read all of Psalm 136 — Twenty-six verses. Twenty-six times the refrain: His steadfast love endures forever. Repetition becomes revelation.
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